Unmasking the Jester
UNMASKING THE JESTER Valkyrii Sitting alone in his Tavern, Valkyrii began to lounge back in his chair and taking a sip of his ale all the while knowing what would happen next would change his life forever. The door swung open and in came a gorgeous woman with the short brown hair and big beautiful brown eyes. With the first glance at this new lady, Valkyrii could feel his heart pound inside his chest and wondered if he would be able to greet her properly. After gathering his composure and remember he wore his lucky shirt today, he knew he would be able to bring his best. :Welcome to The Jester's Mask, the best tavern in Canterbury. You look very tired from what appears like a bit of a journey. You should come in and have a drink with me. Making sure to snag a few glasses and a pitcher of beer, Valkyrii walks over to Beatta and slides a chair out for her while occupying the seat next to her and pouring the ale. Beatta Travelling for so long had been exhausting. It was a relief to find a tavern to sit down in. Beatta's feet were sore and her throat parched and she couldn't remember when she had last eaten. She felt like a wreck. But the Jester's Mask was cool and the tavern owner looked delicious. She was a little nervous with how very confident he seemed, but really too tired to squash him in the way she would normally have done! :"Thank you kind sir. A drink would be lovely. I'm in need of refreshment very badly." She looked around the tavern... some strange looking folks lurking there. ............A man in a green shirt was looking very sneaky in the back........... and a very busty blond girl was smiling with a glazed expression.... Canterbury seemed strange but Beatta hoped they wouldn't find her strange too. :"Nice pub you have here. And thanks again." He's nice up close too. Perhaps this place will be interesting. I think I'll stop a while Valkyrii Giving her a drink Valkyrii stares in amazement at the speed of this girls drinking capabilities. After a bit, Valkyrii felt a tap on his shoulder and heard her asking for another and wondered how long he had been staring at her. It only felt like a few seconds but she was giving him a strange look. After she finished her drinks, Valkyrii noticed she glanced off in the direction of Bert and Lucy and told her not to worry about them as they always give the same looks to everyone. Suddenly Valkryii remembers he forgot to introduce himself and chastises himself. :"I am sorry for not introducing myself early, my name is Valkyrii. I would love to hear your name as I am sure it fits your beauty and grace." Wondering if he should add anymore to his introduction he suddenly notices a bright aura the woman seems to carry which was puzzling. :"I am sure you will enjoy Canterbury as the town itself has many good qualities. If you want later on today after you have recovered, I can show you around the town and introduce you to a few people that I believe you might enjoy. If you need a place to stay for a few days, I have a friend MissHoney that I am sure wouldn't mind it." Glad to see this new girl enjoy herself as Valkyrii smiled to her and hoped that one day he would get to learn more about her. Who knows what type of future they could have together Beatta Beatta was embarrassed to find how thirsty she really was and downed her second tankard in almost one gulp, deftly supressing a world-class burp. She fought to stop laughing from the smoothness of the guy - did she really look that naive in the rags? :"Hello Valkyrii - nice name." :"I'm Beatta. .. And not feeling that graceful actually." :"But thanks for the compliment - Can't get enough of those!" she laughed. :"A place to stay would be fabulous." Hoping this MissHoney had a shower in her house that she could use - soon! - Beatta quickly retrieved the purple aura that had fallen out of pocket, and almost fell off the stool. She tried hard to regain her composure but - Wow, what a white smile this guy has! MissHoney After a long day of work on the fields , feeling a bit thirsty MissHoney decides to go to her favorite spot... -Nice day to stay out a little late...and enjoy a few beers with my good friend Valk... Getting closer to the Mask, Misshoney can see inside where Valkyrii is talking to a girl sitting at the bar. -Looks like we have a newcomer, most be since I know almost everyone that visits the mask...I think I should go rescue her from Valks claws... she said out loud laughing. Entering the mask , miss honey waves and says hello,while sitting in her favorite stool... -Hello Valk,nice day today uh?, Hello lady nice to meet you, My name is Miss Honey...care for another drink? Looking over at the new girl who already had a few drinks by her side.... :Is Valky been a good host? said Missh looking a Valkyrii :Well if hes not you let me know, I'll put him on his place..Even tho you look like you can do that yourself Said MissHoney now looking at her... I hope she doesn't take it the wrong way...Thought Miss H to herself... :So Valk whats new today on the mask...good looking veggies you got there Beatta :"Oh, yes please, just one more beer would be *hic* good, thanks. My name's Beatta, by the way - just got into town." Trying to appear nonchalant (and probably failing miserably) Beatta turned a bit on the stool, narrowly avoiding a nasty splinter, and checked the girl out, and her profile. So this is Miss Honey, is it? hmmm Something going on with her and the guy perhaps? .. I'll need to be careful not to tread on anyone's toes here I think! :"He has been quite gentlemanly so far. And I hear you might have a room to rent for a while Miss Honey? *hic* I will need to get situated and find some work - I could use someone to show me the ropes if you dont mind.. don't want to be a bother though.'' MissHoney MissHoney pours more beer for Beatta. :Beatta? nice name...so Valk a gentleman? that's so not him, -said Misshoney looking at Valkyrii who seemed a bit embarrassed. :Nah, Valkyrii is a good man, very helpful with the newcomers too Said Misshoney remembering how much Valk help her when she was the new girl in town, since then they have build a good friendship together :I do have an extra room in my cottage, I would love to rent it to you...You are going to like this place, people here in Canterbury are really nice... You're going to feel very welcome here :I'll help you with anything you might need,first of all, are you hungry? you shouldn't be drinking on a empty stomach Fat_Willie William enters the tavern and takes a seat at the table. He glances over, noticing Valk was talking to a girl. This ought to be good he thought. :"An ale please," he says and he lays down some pence on the bar. He leans on the bar, half of him listened, while the other half daydreamed. MissHoney While talking to Beatta and Valkyrii, MissHoney notices a man walking in...it was William. :Well hello Mr William-She said waving at him. :This is Beatta shes new in town. Are you ok? you look a little distant? Fat_Willie :Ah yes, I am fine. Thanks for the concern though. He sips from the mug, still gazing off, his eyes fixed at some distant point in the tavern. He hasn't introduced himself to this Beatta, but he figures his time will come. Valkyrii After a long night of laughing and learning about Beatta, Valkyrii walked her to MissHoney's house for the night. They decided that they would take a walk around town in order for Beatta to learn more about Canterbury and end up having a picnic near the lake in the afternoon. When Valkyrii woke up he decided to wear his best pair of pants and shirt in order to impress Beatta as he felt a connection with her the night before and hoped to kindle a relationship with her soon. Valkyrii was feeling good this morning, he didn't cut himself shaving or burn himself making the picnic basket and when he finished getting ready, walked down the street to where Beatta waited. Feeling a bit nervous but hiding it well, Valkyrii put on his smile that displayed his dimples... :Hello Beatta, it is good to see you again this morning. :I hope you are ready our little picnic by the lake today and I can't wait to show you all that Canterbury has to offer as I am sure you will love it here. Beatta Beatta waited outside Miss Honey's cottage taking in the town. The sun was warm and she felt good for a good night's sleep. She was surprised to have found that Valkyrii was more than just another charmer. They had laughed and joked in the Jester's Mask for hours, but the conversation had come easily, and she found herself looking forward to spending more time with the man. She noticed him walking up the road from the West and shielded her eyes to see properly. Always impressed by a man with more than one pair of pants and a shirt, she smiled. Good grief - It looks like he does his own laundry! :"Hello Valkyrii, nice morning we have. The town looks very fine. :I'm looking forward to the guided tour you promised." Valkyrii Talking with Beatta along their walk proved to be bliss. Back and forth they went with each other with their little quips. Valkyrii tried his old tactic of impressing Beatta by attempting to say how much he knew about everything but it was his luck that he finally met his match in the battle of the wits game. Beatta was exceptionally intelligent it proved and showed him up in every case except one which was something of little importance such as horse stirrups. As the walk progressed further and further into the woods nearing the lake where Valkyrii was going to set up the picnic his confidence gained. It seemed like he could share things with Beatta that he couldn't share with anyone else. Sadly, the talk did not stay that way forever... Without even realizing it and lost in conversation, Valkyrii looked around and realized he missed his picnic spot and was lost in the adjacent woods. :The spot is just a bit further Beatta, don't worry as I have everything under control. As a display of his confidence, Valkyrii took a chance by offering out his hand... :Take my hand Beatta as we walk because some of the animals in these woods can become dangerous if they spot you alone. Not sure if Beatta could see through his lies about dangerous animals or not, Valkyrii just hoped she would take his hand. Beatta Beatta had seen this man in action, flirting mercilessly with every woman in his bar and acting the macho mine host with all the guys... She had a good idea which animals were dangerous in the woods, and she wasn’t concerned for her safety with the wild ones! But, against her better judgment she reached out to take his hand………..and tripped over a small bramble lying across the path. She barely stopped herself from falling head-over-heels down a moss-covered bank, but ended up on her knees and was infuriated to hear him laughing loudly at her. She mumbled something incomprehensible (unrepeatable and technically infeasible) and the moment was gone. ….. .. months went by in a whirl – working every day with good (sometimes less than sensible) conversations that often extended smoothly into the early hours of the morning. Beatta had been treated to the hints and rumours of Valkyrii’s past escapades with women from all the lovely people of Canterbury, and she really didn’t care. She enjoyed his company, the way he made her laugh and that in private he could talk easily about anything. The blustery tavern-owner facade was still on display but she saw beyond that. Things between them were comfortable. This was no dewy-eyed romance of flowers, sighs and stolen kisses. Beatta wasn’t keen on becoming a second fiddle to any man’s dreams (and certainly didn’t see herself as a mother!)... But they had talked of adventures and creating a bit of trouble, and Beatta assumed it would be shared. But it didn’t look as though Valkyrii was moving fast in that direction … perhaps she had misjudged him and he was just spinning her along for a laugh. :“He had better not be making a fool of me!” she said to herself, :“If he doesn’t make a move soon I’m moving on!” Valkyrii With the plan set firmly in his mind, Valkyrii stepped up to Beatta's house. Valkyrii gave three firm knocks while waiting patiently. Knowing confidently what awaited him in mere moments he prepared himself by getting down on one knee. ;Beatta will you marry me? Beatta :"Of course I will Valkyrii! Was it really that hard to say?" She smiled at him and hugged him tight. .. But over the next few days Beatta became less sure that she had said the right thing. Valkyrii seemed less than ready to embark on a new lifestyle and she also missed her unattached ways. Should she tell him or no? Category:Work in Progress